Playoff time is here for Binghamton University women’s tennis.
Binghamton (11-5, 2-0) has qualified for the America East Conference Tournament, which is set to begin on Friday at Yale University. The Bearcats will be seeded third in the event, behind last year’s finalists, the top-seeded Boston Terriers (9-7, 2-0) and No. 2 Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers (13-3, 2-1). The Stony Brook Seawolves (9-7, 2-2), the Albany Great Danes (17-6, 1-3) and the Hartford Hawks (0-12, 0-3) round out seeds four through six.
In the first round of the tournament Friday the Bearcats play the Hawks, while the Seawolves play the Great Danes. The Terriers and Retrievers earned byes.
The question for Binghamton as it enters the tournament: Does it have what it takes to break through and win the conference for the first time in its history?
The answer: While the Terriers are the favorites, Binghamton has a real chance to unseat them.
Binghamton’s three freshmen have played incredible tennis at the top of the lineup:
Anna Edelman, Lauren Bates and Yulia Smirnova have been outstanding for the Bearcats all year long. Edelman went 13-3 in duals and was just named the America East Athlete of the Week on April 21. Bates won her first 10 matches of the year and went 12-4 in duals. Together, they have teamed to go 14-2 in doubles in dual matches to solidify the team’s top doubles position. Smirnova was 11-5 in her dual matches this year as well. In performing at such a high level, the team’s “big three” has successfully replaced graduates Zeynep Altinay and Lya Kushnirovich and Juliana Umeki, who transferred to Jacksonville University before the season began.
“Our freshmen have been holding us strong and representing us very well in the top three spots,” said Gayathri Balasundar, the team’s senior captain.
As good as Edelman, Bates and Smirnova have been, they can only get three points for the Bearcats in a dual, and it takes four to win a match. At 11-5, and on a five-match win streak, the Bearcats have been playing well of late, and their wins have been driven by their bottom portion of the lineup as much as by their top three. Danyelle Shapiro is 10-6 on the year in singles, and 11-5 in doubles with Smirnova. Erica Rosenblum and Balasundar have been very solid in doubles, sporting a 12-4 overall mark.
“Yeah, our freshmen have been playing well,” Balasundar said. “But our sophomores are also working hard and have been building up their own records. Danyelle and Erica have been playing really well, working hard and turning their weaknesses into strengths. We’re more than just the three freshmen.”
The Bearcats are hungry and prepared for a battle with UMBC:
Binghamton should roll over Hartford, whom they defeated 7-0 this season, to set up a rematch of last year’s semifinal showdown with UMBC. Last year, the Bearcats defeated UMBC 4-3 in the regular season, only to see the Retrievers eliminate them from the tournament, 4-2. The Bearcats appear ready to avenge their defeat.
“We’re looking forward to playing UMBC,” Rosenblum said. “We still have a bad taste in our mouths from the loss in last year’s conference semifinals.”
The Bearcats believe they can beat Boston this year.
The Terriers are the favorites to win the America East, and deservedly so. Boston has won the event for 14 consecutive years. It was ranked No. 74 in the nation last season, and beat the No. 74 team this year, Yale. It also stormed past UMBC and Stony Brook 6-1 in their dual matches. However, the Terriers are just 9-7, and the Bearcats have the momentum of their win streak. While Boston will be favored to win its 15th consecutive title, Binghamton should not be counted out.
Stony Brook should cruise past Albany while Binghamton should dominate against winless Hartford in round one. In the semis, Boston should roll past Stony Brook into the finals, leaving UMBC and Boston in Binghamton’s path to the conference title. While the road ahead will be a tough one, Binghamton’s desire to succeed cannot be second-guessed.
“I know what it feels like to be on the losing end,” said Balasundar. “I really want to go in there and come out with a ‘W’ this time. We’re tired of Boston winning every year.”